THE House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee on Thursday queried the alleged abandonment of a ₦365 million National Library of Nigeria project in Jalingo, Taraba State, following a petition by the civic organisation, BudgIT Foundation.
News Point Nigeria reports that the organisation accused the National Library of Nigeria of abandoning the construction of a prototype national library building in Jalingo after the payment of about ₦292 million to the contractor.
The Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Chinwe Veronica, appeared before the committee chaired by Bamidele Salam to respond to the allegations.
During the hearing, the agency explained that the contract for the construction of the national library state branch in Jalingo was initially awarded on March 1, 2018, to Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited at a sum of ₦238 million, with a completion timeline of March 2019.
She told lawmakers that the contract sum was later reviewed upward to ₦365 million in March 2023 following a variation approved through the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to her, a total of ₦292.267 million had been paid to the contractor, while the project currently stands at about 85 per cent completion.
Veronica also disclosed that about ₦7.3 million remains as the outstanding balance on the project.
However, members of the committee expressed concern over the status of the project, noting that despite the substantial payment made, the contractor had not been seen on site since October 2023.
The committee also questioned why the eighth payment certificate, valued at ₦65.2 million, was processed alongside an earlier unpaid certificate despite limited documentation provided to justify the payments.
The lawmakers noted that the only document submitted to the committee was the original letter of award, with other key procurement documents, including the variation request and approval records, missing from the agency’s submission.
While responding, the NLN chief said some of the processes predated her tenure but assured the lawmakers that the relevant documents would be submitted to the committee.
Veronica also told the committee that officials of the agency visited the project site last year and observed security personnel stationed there by the contractor, adding that they also communicated with the contractor by telephone.
However, the committee chairman disagreed with the assessment, arguing that the absence of the contractor on site since October 2023 suggested that the project had effectively been abandoned.
He said the agency’s response appeared biased and failed to adequately address the committee’s concerns regarding the status of the project.
Following deliberations, the committee directed the agency to submit all outstanding procurement and payment documents related to the project.
It also constituted a three-member investigative team to conduct a physical inspection of the project site in Jalingo.
The committee further directed the contractor, Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited, and the NLN to reappear before it after the inspection for a final determination on the status of the project and possible next steps.